The present invention pertains to cooling systems, and more particularly, to apparatus and methods for cooling computer equipment stored in an equipment enclosure.
For example, data storage and processing equipment are stored and operated in equipment enclosures located in data centers. The operation of data storage and processing equipment generates waste heat that not only elevates the room temperature in the data centers, but also can degrade the performance of the data storage and processing equipment. Accordingly, data centers are equipped with ventilation and air conditioning systems to remove waste heat to maintain the desired room temperature in the data centers and keep the data storage and processing equipment operating efficiently without overheating. However, as data storage and processing equipment become more complex and operate at higher speed and greater capacity, more waste heat is generated. In order to keep the data storage and processing equipment operating efficiently without overheating, greater demands are put on the facility ventilation and air conditioning systems to remove the excess heat and keep the equipment from overheating. Accordingly, a cooling system is desired to assist with meeting increasing demands.